Old Fox

"Old Rougue, not bad!" Xi Li Dao Gao patted Shen Lang on the shoulder and smiled with narrowed eyes. "When it comes to killing, you're better than me. Back in the day, you were famously one of the moderates."

Shen Lang gave a wry smile and waved it off. "How many years ago was that? Why bring up ancient history? Always poking where it hurts."

He paused. "As for you, Xiao Gaozi, your cultivation really is a little higher than mine. I have to admit that much."

Xi Li Dao Gao laughed smugly. "Good that you know. It's been ages since I fought this freely. Satisfying!"

"I heard your grandson's Spirit reverted to its ancestral form and awakened the Seven Kill Sword. Truly worth celebrating." Shen Lang changed the subject, bringing up the Xi Li Family's good news. "And in another twenty or thirty years, your Xi Li Sword will advance into an Eighth Grade Spirit. Truly enviable."

Xi Li Dao Gao waved a hand, unconcerned. "So what if it's about to advance? It might still not be faster than the Sky Glazed Sword of the Lu Family. As for your Shen Family, you may not even be able to keep Third Child's position."

Hearing that, Shen Lang burst into laughter. "If we can't keep it, then we can't. The Lu Family has too much yin and too little yang. Those women who overturn the natural order aren't people we can afford to provoke."

"Haha, true." Xi Li Dao Gao laughed as well, then his brows furrowed slightly. "This time the Main Family actually mobilized both our families. Though we're close by, those old fellows from the Zhaowu Nine Clans, and several of the old lords, didn't come. Something about this isn't normal."

Shen Lang nodded leisurely, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes. "It is indeed far from ordinary. All these signs show that the Main Family is brewing up a grand scheme. However, plans at that level aren't something we should worry too much about."

He clapped his hands lightly, then stood up calmly.

"Forget it. Let's go." Shen Lang waved his hand freely and turned to leave.

Xi Li Dao Gao lazily lifted his eyelids and asked curiously, "Where to?"

Shen Lang chuckled. "To divide the spoils, of course. We put in so much effort and even lost some manpower. The Main Family has to pay us something for the work, right? Even long-term laborers get wages. They should at least toss us a couple of coins, no?"

He paused, then continued, "Besides, you saw those children with your own eyes. Their levels are far too high."

As he spoke, he strode toward the main hall.

Hearing this, Xi Li Dao Gao's eyes rolled. He hurriedly stood up and staggered after Shen Lang, a smile likewise appearing on his face.

The two walked one after the other, both looking rather plump and prosperous.

On a stone platform, Yang Buer and Dugu Lin stood shoulder to shoulder. In the night, their robes fluttered lightly in the wind, their gazes deep as they watched the busy crowd below. Their figures moved through the glowing lamplight, toiling like a colony of ants.

Although the two came from different families, they had long since formed a decent friendship through deep exchanges within the niche circle of poison users.

The Yang Family was located in the north of Fasinuo Province, separated from Silves Kingdom, where the Dugu Family was located, by only the majestic Jiayuguan. This geographical relationship also made their dealings more frequent.

Yang Buer sighed softly, breaking the silence. "I truly never expected that a thousand-year great sect like the Heavenly Wolf Gate would collapse with a single careless move."

Dugu Lin turned to glance at him and sighed. "Yes. The gap between a First-rate Power and a top power is truly lamentable."

Yang Buer fell into brief contemplation. Although they did not approve of some of the Heavenly Wolf Gate's actions, at this moment, they could not help but feel a trace of desolation, a sense of shared sorrow.

Dugu Lin turned to look at Yang Buer, his brows slightly knitted. "Who could have expected that the Ji and Liu Families had been taken under their wing, while the Xi Li Clan and the Shen Family were actually branches of the Chen Clan?"

"I never paid attention to these things before. I wonder how many other families in the Soul Master World are connected to the Chen Clan."

"Your Yang Family came from the Heavenly Soldier Sect, so you should know more about this, right?"

Yang Buer nodded slightly. "A little, but my understanding definitely isn't comprehensive enough."

He paused, then looked at Dugu Lin. "Brother Dugu, what are you trying to say?"

Dugu Lin took a deep breath. "This time, when the Heavenly Wolf Gate was destroyed, Clan Leader Chen Yu did not appear to oversee the overall situation. Instead, he called back His Eminence Chen Hong. I'm very curious. Where exactly did he go? Buer, you should be able to guess something, shouldn't you?"

Yang Buer did not answer, merely gazing quietly into the distant night.

He naturally understood what Dugu Lin meant. Back when he had been invited to help, he had already known the reason behind it. So, in all likelihood, Chen Yu had also made a move against the Unbenevolent Tower at the same time.

At that moment, Dugu Lin's eyes glowed a deep green, and his hands clenched tight. He broke the silence again, saying in a low voice, "They destroyed the Heavenly Wolf Gate even without Clan Leader Chen coming. What does that mean? The strength the Chen Clan deployed this time probably wasn't even half of their family's power."

Hearing this, Yang Buer first froze, then the corners of his mouth curved into a meaningful smile as he said leisurely, "You're overthinking it, Brother Dugu. If the Chen Clan had truly gone all out, the force deployed this time probably wouldn't even amount to a quarter of their family's strength."

Yang Buer knew clearly that Zhu Hongzhen had already broken through to Titled rank, greatly increasing his strength.

And this time, only half of the Zhaowu Nine Clans' strength had come. The Ji Clan and Liu Clan were the same. The two great branches, Xi Li and the Shen Family, had also only deployed half their strength.

Even more astonishingly, he had learned that the Chen Clan still had several other branches whose strength was no weaker than Xi Li and the Shen Family, especially that first-ranked branch.

After hearing Yang Buer's words, Dugu Lin was speechless for a moment.

His eyes widened as he looked at Yang Buer, his face full of shock.

At that moment, the atmosphere on the field became exceptionally heavy, and Yang Buer's words had undoubtedly added another layer of raging waves to his heart.

After a moment of silence, Dugu Lin suddenly asked, "Buer, although this question is a little abrupt, I still want to ask. What benefits exactly did the Chen Clan give you to make you willing to stay and help?"

Yang Buer smiled faintly and took out a spirit herb flickering with glowing green light. "One Eighth Grade Spirit Herb."

A trace of surprise flashed through Dugu Lin's eyes. "What a generous hand!"

Ninth Grade Spirit Herbs were already rare in the world. Back then, even the Chen Clan had found it hard to obtain a single one.

Yang Buer raised an eyebrow and looked at Dugu Lin with a smile that was not quite a smile. "What about you? What benefits did the Chen Clan give you?"

Dugu Lin took a gemstone flashing with red, blue, and green light from his pocket and tossed it to Yang Buer. "This is called the Heart of the Divine Tree. It contains Ice and Fire Power."

"It has a very good suppressive effect on our family's poison. We once tested it, and it was indeed extremely effective. It even saved my second son's life."

"Previously, Young Master Chen gave me one. This time, for helping, he gave me five."

Yang Buer toyed with the Heart of the Divine Tree in his hand, sensing the strange energy it emitted. He looked up at Dugu Lin. "What are you trying to say?"

Dugu Lin took a deep breath and said slowly, "Nothing. I just feel somewhat moved. Living in chaotic times, small households like ours are all in constant danger."

After saying this, he put away the Heart of the Divine Tree, turned, and left.

However, before leaving, he paused, then added offhandedly, as if deliberately and yet not, "A few months ago, Young Master Chen once tried to recruit our Dugu Family."

Yang Buer jolted at those words, an indescribable feeling welling up in his heart.

This time, the Chen Clan had only invited the two of them, and if the Chen Clan truly intended to recruit the Dugu Family, then...

A moment later, he laughed despite himself. "Old fox."